"It is true that DI has grown significantly in the past 30 years. The
growth that we’ve seen was predicted by actuaries as early as 1994 and
is mostly the result of two factors: baby boomers entering their high-
disability years, and women entering the workforce in large numbers in
the 1970s and 1980s so that more are now "insured" for DI based on their
own prior contributions. The increase in the number of children
receiving SSI benefits in the past decade is similarly explained by
larger economic factors, namely the increase in the number of poor and
low-income children. More than 1 in 5 U.S. children live in poverty
today and some 44 percent live in low-income households. Since SSI is a
means-tested program, more poor and low-income children mean more
children with disabilities are financially eligible for benefits.
Importantly, the share of low-income children who receive SSI benefits
has remained constant at less than four percent."

In other words: Most of the increase in disability is purely due to demographic changes.

They say: "Unfortunately Ms. Joffe Walt’s reporting fails to tell the whole story and perpetuates dangerous myths about the Social Security disability programs and the people they help."

The CCD response makes a lot of points.

One data point they give is that :
"Many are terminally ill: 1 in 5 male SSDI beneficiaries and 1 in 7 female SSDI beneficiaries die within 5 years of receiving benefits. "

That hardly paints a picture of a bunch of "free loaders".

"Just 1.6 percent of U.S. children receive SSI fewer than 1 in 4 U.S. children with disabilities.
Contrary to what Ms. Joffe Walt suggests,doing poorly in school is not a basis for SSI eligibility."

And as far as people shifting from TANF to disability, they point out : "The decline in TANF enrollment from 1996 to 2011 is more than 20 times the magnitude of the increase in SSI child enrollment during that period."

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